WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent the White House a $12.3 billion water projects bill half the size of its last one seven years ago — before the economy sank into a deep recession that helped swell the government’s debt and before lawmakers swore off cherry-picking pet projects for folks back home. With a 91-7 vote […]
Senate
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Posted inMaine
Legislature passes budget fix for 2015 despite LePage opposition
AUGUSTA — The Legislature on Tuesday easily passed a $32 million state budget fix for 2015. The House passed the bill on a vote of 136-8; the Senate passed the bill 35-0. Lawmakers wanted to put the bill on Gov. Paul LePage’s desk by the time they adjourned later this week. LePage already threatened a […]
Posted inMaine
Senate deals quick death to LePage bill to turn state agency into campaign lie detector
AUGUSTA — “The truthiness bill.” “The lie-detector law.” “The truth-squad bill.” In hallway conversations, Democrats have come up with many names for Gov. Paul LePage’s bill that would make the state Ethics Commission investigate claims that candidates for state office had lied on the campaign trail. But it was with zero floor speeches or debate […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Collins files petitions to qualify for re-election bid
PORTLAND — Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who’s seeking a fourth term, has filed her nominating petitions with Maine elections officials. Major party candidates for U.S. Senate are required to file 2,000 certified signatures by March 17. By submitting hers on Thursday, Collins beat Democrat Shenna Bellows to qualify for the ballot. In 2008, Collins outpolled […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Committee sends Medicaid expansion to Maine Senate
AUGUSTA — A proposal by two moderate Republican senators to expand Medicaid and incorporate drastic changes in the state Medicaid program has cleared the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee and will now be taken up by the full Senate. The bill — crafted by Assistant Senate Minority Leader Roger Katz of Augusta and Sen. […]
Posted inMaine
Maine budget committee eases forward with fix ideas for 2014 and 2015
AUGUSTA — State lawmakers on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee are gaining steady ground as they work to create a supplemental budget that will balance spending and revenues for 2014 and 2015. The Maine Constitution requires a balanced budget, and without a supplemental budget offering from Republican Gov. Paul LePage, the committee has been left largely […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine Senate overrides LePage veto of tobacco bill by wide margin
AUGUSTA — The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to override Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill that would require the state’s Medicaid program to fully fund tobacco cessation treatment. The Senate’s 31-4 vote Tuesday morning follows a strong rejection of the governor’s veto on Thursday in the House, which voted 131-10 in favor […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Republican state Sen. Flood won’t seek re-election
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine state Sen. Patrick Flood says he does not plan to seek re-election this year. The Republican from Winthrop told the Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/1bMAF3R ) he wants to travel with his wife and spend time with his mother. The 62-year-old Flood is best known for his work on the state’s budget-writing committee. […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Anti-fraud hotline launched by U.S. Senate
A lonely woman meets a man online and sends him large chunks of money before realizing the fellow is not who he claims to be. An elderly man passes along financial information after a late-night caller reports that his grandson is in trouble in Canada. A widow sends money to a man who contacted her […]